Brilliant Blues
by JettaBaby
Summary: Set three years before Harry Potter comes to Hogwarts. You've read HP fanfics before, but this one is different. Brilliant Blues tells the story of young Ravenclaws and their own adventures.


Brilliant Blues: A story told by Ravenclaws

"Mornin'..." Sidhe half yawned to the students already in the shared space of the common room the next morning. Her auburn waves were already neatly combed, her black robes were fresh and clean. She found her favorite seat from the night before again and huddled over the mug of hot tea that was a common extension in her life, using the matching footstool in front of the overstuffed chair as her table.

"I've got the kettle hot and full on the stove if anyone needs hot water for something." She yawned again slightly with her still bandaged hand hiding most of her face, and then gazed off into the middle distance; eyes half closed; thoughts drifting through a mostly unremembered dream. "Charms is first today isn't it?" She wondered as her gaze shifted up to the schedule on the wall that magically updated instantly as information changed. "Ah - wait - Astronomy first. Then Charms... no, no... Charms first, I'm still half asleep. Astronomy is at midnight next week" she muttered quietly to herself. She silently began gearing her mind toward the subject of levitating feathers and appropriate wand flicks, which Professor Flitwick had promised.

Arienne came down the stairs from the first year girls' dorm. Her icy eyes widened as she saw the majestic view surrounding her. She paused at the window for a while, taking in the Hogwarts grounds and the mountains in the distance. It was just past sunrise, giving the mountains and surrounding area a pinkish glow. She then spotted Sidhe and curled up in the same high backed chair as last night, near Sidhe. "Good mo-ahhhhh-rning, Sidhe" she tried to say, although it came out as more of a yawn. She smiled at Sidhe and the other girls shyly.

With the tea finally working its own type of ordinary magic, dragging her mind out of the last cobwebs of sleep, Sidhe stretched the kinks out of her shoulders that she was still getting used to the weight of her book bag. She was happy to see Arienne had made it down, looking a little more settled than last night. A good night's sleep did that to some people.

"Well," she finally spoke up, "I'm going to head down to the Great Hall now. Anyone else who is ready can come with me if they'd like." She stood and stretched that one shoulder that took the brunt of her heavy books one last time and then lifted the strap over her head. Smiling with a glance around, she began to move towards the door.

"Wait a second or two, Sidhe, I'll come!" Arienne half-shouted. She didn't want to be left in the common room with people she didn't really know. She pulled a hair brush out of her bag and began to comb through her thick, curly, black locks. She then gathered her school supplies and quickly followed Sidhe to the exit. "Okay, I'm ready" she said with a touch of humor.

"I'm glad you came. I really didn't want to face the dreaded staircases alone. They still make me a bit queasy, even though we've been here for almost two weeks. And confused..." she added She stepped through the threshold and moved down to the bottom of the tower. Gazing thoughtfully at the vista of stairs ahead, her eyebrows knitted together ever so slightly. With a small sigh and a glance back at Arienne, she asked, "any ideas? Got a favorite yet?"

Arienne smiled. "Like a favorite class? Well, so far I like them all. I can't wait to actually do magic because, you know, we've just been learning rules and all so far. What about you?"

Sidhe chuckled. "I like them all too, though I do really like the wee beasties, so I'm looking forward to 'Care of Magical Creatures' in a couple years. But I was wondering if you had a favorite staircase yet - maybe you've already sorted out a safer and steadier route to the Great Hall than I have..." Sidhe mentally crosses her fingers as she recalled an earlier episode with the stairs that was a bit less than pleasant.

"Oh" Arienne said, blushing. "Well, I think this one" she pointed to a staircase going down, "leads down to the bottom the fastest, although it is rather steep. I saw a boy trip on them, and it wasn't very pretty. But my stomach is telling me the faster the better!"

"Okay - lets go for it!" Sidhe straightened her back and took a deep breath. They made it quickly down the first flight, and then turned left as it split in two directions. Almost guessing more than knowing, Sidhe chose another two flights that seemed to be heading in the right direction without incident. On a third choice, however, she began to feel that tell-tale rumble she has already grown to dread and looks with a bit of worry on her face at Arienne.

"Bother," she hissed. "Hang on..." She grasped one rail tightly, planted her feet as firmly as possible, bent her knees slightly and struggled to steady her heavy bag.

Arienne looked at her new friend with sudden alarm and concern. "Are you okay, Sidhe?" She asked, with just a touch of fear in her voice.

"Hurry, grab the rail!" Sidhe managed to shout.

"Whoa!" Arienne shouted in surprise as the staircase suddenly shifted. She grabbed the rail just in time, narrowly avoiding a nasty spill. The new landing was one Arienne was completely unfamiliar with. "Uh, do you by any chance know how to get downstairs from here?" She asked Sidhe, frowning slightly. The stairs seemed to be aiming at a landing on the other side of the void that another set of stairs had just vacated. Already she was trying to sort out how the change in direction would alter their path to breakfast.

Glancing quickly at Arienne she mutterd, "These moving staircases are really not my favorite Hogwarts feature..." Sidhe sighed and looked at the choices carefully. "Honestly, I never feel very sure. This one seems good, if we can get to that next flight over there..." Sidhe pointed at a group of older students further down. "They look like they have been doing this a while." She tries to follow at least part of the path with her eyes. "I think we should try to reach them."

Okay, well, let's try it" Arienne said, going down to the landing. She paused, utterly lost, and turned to see if Sidhe was following. Sidhe assured Arienne that she was right behind her as they continued picking their path through the maze of staircases. Things seemed to have settled, however, as the staircases remained in place for the nonce. With breaths held and fingers crossing and uncrossing, they managed to mostly remain on a downward direction leading to The Great Hall.

Sooner than Sidhe had originally feared, they had settled in behind the group she had noticed earlier. It was made up of a variety of Houses - Ravenclaws, Gryffindors, Slytherins, Hufflepuffs - though each house had a tendency to cluster with its own with only the occasional mingling.

With the new confidence of more experienced students leading the way, they were very soon standing before the enormous and impressive doors that she remembered finding so intimidating on her first night. She spent a few seconds indulging in the memories of the thrill of that moment when she was in the middle of her first great life transition before hearing a vague clatter from above.

Glancing up, about halfway down to where she and Arienne had paused, she saw a first year Ravenclaw make a quick dash to a lower flight. From her angle, Sidhe could see another large group of students four levels to the girl's right. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she attempts to yell up, "Aura! Auuura! Over to your right! Try to catch up with those students, it might make it easier!" She was pretty sure her name was Aura, although she wasn't positive. Sidhe pointed at the intended target, hoping that Aura could make them out from where she hovered.

Arienne, standing so close to her, seemed to be startled by her voice which could be surprisingly loud in a shout, considering that her normal habit was not to raise it at all. Being raised in a place where companions could sometimes find the need to communicate over distance, Sidhe had the ability to call up her voice from deep in the gut if required. But her nature was to speak softly and that remained as the norm day to day. She looked over at her friend and offered her an apologetic grin followed by a little shrug. Looking up again quickly, Sidhe thought that Aura heard her as she seemed to throw up a hand in a quick wave. Or, perhaps it was just a flutter of her arm as she regained her balance - Sidhe was not sure. But Aura was heading now in a direction that could catch her up to the other Hogwarts students, and had also somehow been joined by another Ravenclaw in the tiny amount of time that she had looked away, so Sidhe hoped that with teamwork, the other first year would soon be joining them. Turning back to Arienne, she murmured, "Shall we go find our places?" Arienne nodded happily. They walked into the Great Hall together.

Sidhe settled into a spot at the Ravenclaw table and twisted to lift off her bag and shoved it under the bench just beneath her. Reaching down, she slipped out the scroll containing her Charms essay to quickly read through one last time, though it was really far too late to make any changes. Realizing this, she replaced it in her bag and gazed around as other students continued to file in slowly.

She always looked forward to this part of the day, when the owls would come to bring messages and packages. Plus, she had already bonded with Taraghlan, her companion - and enjoyed spending some time with him before the more serious business of the day began. Then, suddenly, a large mass of owls flew into the great hall. She let her eyes drift upward hoping to soon catch Taraghlan's distinctive Noh Mask face in the midst of the variety of other owls.

Sidhe finally smiled broadly as Taraghlan, who she called Tah, sailed over her head once, made a wide arc around the room and then settled in an empty spot at her side. Arienne widened her eyes and sighed longingly as she saw her friend's owl. Sidhe carefully took the letter her barn owl had brought to her and scratched him gently just above his beak. It was from her favorite uncle. He was a cryptozoologist, and often wrote to her telling of the places he had seen and what new discoveries he was working on. He also knew Hagrid from his own years at Hogwarts, and asked that she share the information he sent with his old friend in the hopes that it might be useful in his class on Magical Beasts. She had already sent Hagrid an older find of her Uncle Aed's concerning 'Gibberish Beetles' which was now pinned on a wallboard that he had in his hut for just that purpose.

After perusing the message and learning of the possibility of 'Wand Mites' in the world, Sidhe noticed that the other owls had started to clear the air and head back to the owlry, having delivered all of the mornings messages and packages. She fondly ran her fingers through Tah's feathers again, promised to score him a kipper and watched him fly back out of the window high above.

Soon after, the table, in the amazing fashion of Hogwarts, suddenly burst forth with a variety of breakfast porridge, bangers, juices, kippers, fruits, eggs, toast, jams and much more. Sidhe snagged a bowl of porridge to start, preferring it with just some milk and salt, and occasionally adding a nibble of bacon or some other nearby delight. The orange juice was especially delicious that morning, and it wasn't long before Sidhe felt the satisfaction of fullness. She reached onto her plate to get a bit of the kipper she had not finished as promised to Tah, wrapped it in a bit of waxed paper and stored it in a side pocket of her bag for later.

Arienne looked at her watch and gasped. The dark haired girl leapt out of her seat. "Come on Sidhe, we're going to miss Charms!" Sidhe chuckled again to herself, because she was sure there was still plenty of time. Arienne pulled her to her feet. "Come on!" Sidhe slid the strap of her bag over her robes and trotted after her friend. They arrived at the door and slipped through, finding the Professor passing out large feathers as students entered. Sidhe slid into her seat and patted the one next to her - suggesting it to Arienne.

Arienne sat down gratefully next to Sidhe. She absent-mindedly twirled her feather in her hand, waiting for the lesson to start. She glanced around the room and saw Gryffindors mixed in with the familiar first year Ravenclaws. They looked like a rowdy bunch, although it may have just seemed like that to Arienne due to what she had heard about Gryffindors.

Sidhe tucked her bag under her seat again as Arienne settled in the next space. She placed her feather for the day on the desk and ran through the steps and principles of levitating, the lesson they had been working on all week, again in her mind while sliding her wand out from the pocket designed to carry it in her robes. She let her eyes travel to the petite figure of Professor Flitwick as he passed out the last feather and moved to the raised dais from which he habitually led the class.

Proffesor Flitwick coughed quietly, gaining everybody's attention. "Now, today, we will be learning levitation. Take your wand, point it at your feathers. Say, loudly and clearly, Wingardium Leviosa, and swish and flick! Just like we've been practicing, swish and flick!"

Arienne gave a hopeful sort of smile and picked up her wand nervously. Pear and Phoenix feather, 9 ¾ inches, slightly bendy, this wand had chosen her a little over a month ago at Ollivanders. A warm, comforting feeling filled her as she picked up her wand. Pointing carefully at the feather, she spoke the incantation as Professor Flitwick had instructed. "Wingardium Leviosa" she said slowly. The feather rose feebly about half an inch, but then dropped back down onto the desk.

Along with all of the other Ravenclaw first years, Sidhe adjusted her fingers in the most effective hold for levitation and began the incantation. She had varied success much like the others - sometimes just obtaining a ragged tremble of the feather on the desk - at other times getting it to float momentarily an inch or two above the wooden surface, barely enough for all of the wisps to clear the deck.

Arienne stared intently at her feather, with a focus that seemed rather incredible for an 11 year old girl. A strange urge to compete rose up in her as she saw fellow Ravenclaws succeeding in making the feather float. "Wingardium Leviosa" she said sharply and clearly, 'swishing and flicking' her wand forcefully. The feather rose into the air and Arienne gave it a look of fierce pride. The feather didn't wobble at all, it was rather surprising considering her last attempt. She focused on keeping the feather high, still with a fiercely determined look on her face.

The professor moved through the room, quietly offering a suggestion here and there to struggling students or reaching out to adapt a hand to a better grip. Before long he had worked his way around to where Arienne was steadily holding her feather high in the air and praised her generously. Sidhe grinned at her friend's success. For herself, she continued to have better moments than others, and gratefully accepted further instruction from the Charms Master. Though she hadn't reached the proficiency of Arienne or some of the other students, she resolved to practice further over the weekend and remained grateful that she had not yet had a feather burst into rather unfortunate flames.

"Keep trying, everyone," the elfish wizard encouraged, "It is a matter of time and persistence - you can all be great wizards and witches one day if you choose to chase your dreams!" After practice ended, Professor Flitwick moved back to the front of the class and requested that all of the students hold up their essay scrolls that were due that day. With a practiced flourish of his wand, he gently plucked each parchment from the raised hands and levitated them across the room where they uprighted themselves neatly into the "Homework Vase" on his desk. He then assigned new homework and dismissed the class.

As Arienne left the classroom, her face was alight with a proud smile. She had really surprised herself today. She walked with a spring in her step that fellow students had not yet seen. "Two pages on the difference between a charm and a spell" Arienne muttered to herself. She then realized that Sidhe had not followed her out, and turned back to wait by the door for her friend. Arienne thought of their next lesson as she waited for Sidhe. DADA straight away, then a 30 minute break before Transfiguration and then lunch. She wondered what they would learn. They hadn't covered much yet in DADA, just when to use defensive magic and when not to, that sort of thing. She hoped it would be another lesson where they used magic.

After a promise from the Head of her house to find some time in the upcoming weeks to discuss the subject in greater detail, Sidhe slipped out the door to discover Arienne still hovering nearby. "Oh!" She gasped quietly, "did you wait for me? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hold you up."

Just as the last syllables slipped out of her mouth, a sudden disturbance caught her attention from the hallway outside of one of the Potions labs two levels down. A pack of first year Hufflepuffs came spilling out of the lab coughing and gasping, followed quickly by a billowing greenish-black smoke. Sidhe leaned far over the rail of the level that she and Arienne were on to get a better look and to determine if anyone was in trouble. The cloud quickly began to rise and disperse through the space - the first tendrils soon reaching the two girls as they observed from above. Sidhe's face scrunched a bit as she caught the hot scent of sour milk mixed unpleasantly with a subtle sweetness - something akin to pineapple.

She glanced at Arienne as two of the Hufflepuffs climbed the stairs shaking their heads, which still had wisps of the foul smelling results of the failed concoction trailing like an evil bloodhound. "Well, that's one cauldron that won't find a secondhand use," she overheard one whisper to the other as they passed. Looking down again, she just caught another young Hufflepuff half falling out of the smoky doorway to be gathered up by four of his classmates who patted him on the back with concern - asking if he was alright. Before long, the sandy haired boy managed to straighten up as his laughing companions reached out to help straighten his robes and flatten his now slightly singed bangs.

"I suppose that's the lad who had a potion failure - and a pretty spectacular one at that!" Sidhe murmured to Arienne. The girl nodded. "Uh-oh..." she trailed off while unconsciously tucking an auburn lock back into the messy knot she typically combed her hair into each morning. She tipped her chin to point silently toward new movement further down the Potions hall where her eyes picked out the gliding figure of a tall, pale man with a stern look in his eye. Professor Snape did not exhibit happy body language as he approached the now completely sober group remaining in the area, though as always, his reaction appeared restrained and controlled on the surface. The girls were too far away to make out what he was saying to the newly distressed Hufflepuffs. Even at his angriest, the Potions master did not have a reputation for raising his voice. That, however, did not reduce the power behind his words one single bit... in fact; the effect of his speech often induced a variety of shivers in his listeners.

As a difficult to read expression crossed his face, he moved his wand in a slight arc along with a silent command and pulled the foul smoke into a swirling column which he then guided upwards and out of a window above. He returned his full attention toward the unfortunate students in front of him that seemed to be desperately trying to blend into the wall behind them as sympathetic denizens of the paintings along the space held their breath. Sidhe didn't want to push their luck any further and suggested to Arienne that they continue on to their next class before the sometimes prickly professor below them noticed he was being observed.

"Yes, let's go" agreed Arienne quietly, with sympathy for the poor students. The girls followed the rest of the first year Ravenclaws up one floor to the DADA classroom.

Arienne and Sidhe walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where there appeared to be no teacher. Two first year Ravenclaws, possibly named Aura and Kyra, were laughing, smiling, and dancing on their chairs. Arienne suppressed a giggle and Sidhe chuckled quietly as they found seats.

Sidhe had already settled into her seat with Arienne next to her when the tall woman standing quietly in the shadows at the front of the classroom suddenly cleared her throat while looking intensely at Kyra and Aura standing on their chairs. She looked intimidating with her rod-straight back and waist length hair locked into thin dreads, while her permanently ink-blackened lips opened just a bit to reveal white, even teeth against dark skin.

Sidhe recalled her first encounter a few weeks before with the youngish Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, only in her early 30s, when she was at first confused by her facial markings. At a glance, she originally thought the woman wore a goatee, and it was only with a second more careful look that she realized that it was actually an intricate tribal tattoo that ran from the edges of her mouth down around her chin. It was beautiful and strange to Sidhe's eye, but it did not take long to become just another facet to the Maori witch who grew quickly in popularity with the students.

Her name was Professor Te Kahika, originally from New Zealand, who was invited along with her husband Taonga by Professor Dumbledore to teach at Hogwarts for a year or two. Though she hadn't wanted to leave her home country, her mutual respect and admiration for the elderly wizard influenced her decision to temporarily fill the open position until he could find a more permanent replacement. Sidhe had overheard Professor McGonagall address the younger woman as Ahorangi in the hallway, and guessed that this was her first name.

Professor Te Kahika and her husband had started gathering groups of interested students together at the end of the class day to learn more about their Maori culture - including the awe inspiring movements of a traditional haka dance. Taonga Te Kahika, a large, long haired man who wore even more impressive markings all across his face and body, had already put together a group of spirited mixed year young men to participate in the ritual warrior dance. Representing every house, the boys made their best attempts to stomp and slap to match the big man leading them - with varied results.

But those were events for the afternoons and Sidhe pulled her attention back to the present. She watched as Professor Te Kahika stepped forward once into the amber light, her robes marked brightly with the designs of her heritage. She held her gaze on the two girls - feet frozen in place on the surfaces of their seats while their brains processed the fact that the dark woman was already in the room - and said in her firm, somewhat deep voice, "ladies." And that was all.

As the girls reacted to her unspoken command, she turned back to her desk with a twinkle in her eye and a friendly wink at another nervous looking first year sitting nearby. The tension in the room broke. She pulled her wand out from her sleeve and used it to guide a large glass aquarium across the space to settle on a table set in the middle of the room. Inside the sealed case were several small sapphire bulbs spinning madly and crashing against the glass surfaces.

Professor Te Kahika's face creased into an amused grin and as she leaned casually on the corner of her desk, she asked the class, "So, my young friends, can anyone tell me what I have here?"

Arienne stared intently at the sapphire creatures, almost frowning. She had definitely seen or read about them somewhere before, but where? Probably in her DADA book. She wished she had taken the time to do more than breeze through it. Arienne's frown deepened as she was unable to recall the name of the strange little animals. She wracked her brain, but finally shook her head.

Sidhe shot a glance at Arienne and then leaned in to whisper, "I feel like I should know what these are, it's on the tip of my tongue, but I just can't remember!" Arienne nodded. She sighed to herself and wished not for the last time that her uncle spent more time in the area.

After giving the class several opportunities to make guesses and ask questions, the professor laughed quietly to herself. Standing back up to her full, quite impressive height, she announced, "Well then, little ones, it looks like you have a quest this evening to discover what these might be. Do some research and be prepared to share your results with all of us at our next meeting."

She grinned impishly and offered further, "I'll give you two clues. These are native to a country very near my own, and yet you may benefit from them in your favorite sweets shop! I'll give you the next 20 minutes to have a closer look at them before we move on to something else."

Sidhe grimaced as the sound of crashing chairs jangled against her nerves while she stood near the aquarium examining the specimens in front of her. She glanced toward the disturbance just in time to see the statuesque professor amiably helping a young Hufflepuff back to her feet in a smooth, effortless motion. She realized it was the same boy who had blown up his potion earlier. 

"Youngling," Professor Te Kahika said with a mostly straight face that just barely concealed the good natured amusement underneath, "feet on the floor – without your head in the clouds - will get you there from here." Sidhe noticed the professor tilt her head up to hide her continued mirth as the tiny new representative of the yellow and black only stammered back, "uhhh... y-y-yes ma'am..." 

"Good on ya" the dark lady whispered with a wink. And in her normal tone, "Now help set right the chairs and have a look in the tank while there's still time. I'm sure, as a little Huff, you'll have the mystery sorted out right quick enough." 

With that, Professor Te Kahika worked her way back around the room in her strong, smooth gait - stopping once again to lean on the corner of her desk, fold her arms neatly across her chest and listen in passively on the various discussions around the aquarium. 

Sidhe returned her concentration yet again to the bright, jewel like spinning creatures inside. She could just make out a long, needle like appendage hanging down from the bottom and what appeared to be, perhaps, eyes, along the upper section of the bulb shape. How many eyes, it was impossible to tell with the wee beastie spinning so quickly. Only an inch or so in length, she began to think of it as an insect of some sort. There was a glistening shimmer at the top that she eventually began to realize was a type of rudimentary wing that the creature spun helicopter-like (along with the rest of its body) to propel itself clumsily through the air. 

Tapping the glass lightly with a fingernail, she spoke up to ask, "Professor Te Kahika, can we take them out to have a closer look?" 

"Oh no, no, no," the Maori woman replied with one eyebrow arching and a smile just playing across the corners of her mouth, though it was somewhat disguised by her tribal markings. "You might get stung and I can't have all my students giggling and floating about the room for the rest of the day. Well- looks like you have another clue, now." 

"And we wouldn't want to see you suffer a nasty sting" a boy's voice startled Sidhe as it whispered close to her ear unexpectedly. 

Turning quickly, Sidhe caught the eye of the owner of the voice, another Ravenclaw, taller than she. She felt her hand slide self consciously into her messy auburn hair knot. His brown-black eyes were laughing a little at her now, though they were usually mostly serious and his mouth betrayed no emotion at all. She had met him on her very first day at Hogwarts - once on the train when he politely acknowledged her in passing with a slight bow, though she did not get to speak to him at that time - and later when she sat across from him after the sorting ceremony. 

He didn't chat much that night other than to share his name with her and the others nearby, or any of the other nights that she saw him studying in the Common Room, but he usually nodded or even offered shallow bows to her when they encountered each other in the hallways. She had been unsure how to respond exactly, so she usually nodded and smiled a little in return, while tucking her wayward locks back behind her ear and ducking her head in the same motion. 

He normally sat quietly on the edges of their classes together, always seeming quite self contained and fully engaged in the lessons before him. She had come to expect that all of her future interactions with him would be limited to these silent greetings in passing. 

She felt herself actually blushing now, much to her dismay, in her surprise that he was speaking to her directly. To distract from that fact she quickly said, "Umm, Arienne, this is Ohayashi Hidetoshi" she winced as stumbled over the name. "Umm... he's - I met him on the train..." She groaned silently as she felt the lameness of her introduction, but he only smiled a bit and said to Arienne, "nice to meet you. You can call me Hide."

Arienne, sensing Sidhe's slight discomfort, also blushed. "Nice to meet you too, Hide. I'm Arienne Cormaunt." She blushed and turned away, pretending to be interested in the little creatures floating in front of her. Before long though, she was engrossed in their frantic spinning. They reminded her in a strange way of beetles, the way they flew rather randomly. Well, fluttered crazily, more like. She watched them with a rapt expression, forgetting that she was supposed to indentify them.

Arienne looked around, and none of her classmates seemed to have figured out what the creatures were. She really wanted to know what they were though. She hesitated and then gathered her courage. "Ah, Professor Te Kahika," she stumbled a bit over the name and blushed. "Er, what are they?" She blushed again, seeing that everybody had their eyes on her.

Professor Te Kahika smiled and shook her head. "Oh no, my dears, that is for you to figure out. I won't spoil the fun for you! I've given you several very good clues already - but I'll indulge you with this one last bit before we move on." She intensified her look and said, "Newt Scamander has the answer." 

With that, she raised her wand again and skillfully scooped the aquarium up in the air and over the heads of the students, until it settled without a sound in the back of the room. "So," their instructor continued, "I expect that you will all have the solution by our next class? It will be on a little quiz, so best find out what they are soon so that you can correctly solve some questions about them..." 

"Alright, alright," she said with a laugh at the chorus of groans that followed her announcement. "Back to your seats now. Lets move on." 

Sidhe found herself half puzzling over the blue beasties she had just been examining, and half distracted by the fact that Hide had unexpectedly decided to speak to her. She was glad that Arienne had been there to help her cover up some of her awkward reaction. In her head, she cringed at how weird her response must have seemed to him, but she also found herself wondering why she was so worried about what he might think of her. 

"Shake it off, Sidhe... he doesn't even care" she thought to herself. And true enough, he was back on the edges of the class, paying strict attention to what the professor was sharing at that time. Sidhe finally decided that it was just a little fluke, that it meant nothing, and that she should return her own thoughts to the studies at hand. 

Professor Te Kahika soon called the end to the day's lessons, reminded everyone to discover what the sapphire creatures might be, and wished them off with good thoughts. 

As she gathered her things, Sidhe noticed Hide passing close by on his way out the door. On impulse, much to her own shock, she suddenly said, "Hide, wait!" Arienne's eyes widened slightly, surprised with Sidhe's outburst. She then realized what she must look like and looked away shyly. 

Hide stepped out of the way of several other students behind him and came around to where Sidhe and Arienne paused. Sidhe, realizing what she had done, and not really knowing why, glanced at Arienne to see what her expression might be, but her friend was watching with slight interest. Hoping that Arienne would not mind, she finally managed to address the young man again, "Want to walk with us?" 

He smiled, and it even seemed a bit warmer than she expected. "I would like that," he replied. Sidhe looked confused, which made Arienne confused. But if her friend wanted a boy to walk with them, then Arienne was fine with it. Better than walking alone, anyways. 

"Can my friend Jace come with us too?" Hide added as he gestured toward another tall boy hovering at the door.

Arienne looked up at Jace. The first thing she noticed was his eyes- they were bright and a green-blue color, similar to the ocean on a sunny day. His hair was a sandy brown, and slightly long. His nose was a little large for his face, but not unattractive. He was tall for a first year, too. Arienne "Yes, of course he can," she said quickly, before realizing the question wasn't directed at her. She blushed a bit, hoping Sidhe didn't mind.

Sidhe grinned and shrugged her shoulders slightly at Arienne. Though she was still unsure why she had spoken up, she was glad that she did. What could it hurt, after all, to make new friends - and since she and Hide had been nodding at each other in passing since the Hogwart's Express - it seemed only right to finally acknowledge him more formally. 

Hide extended his hand in such a way as to indicate that the two girls should walk ahead of him. "Douzo," he said quietly at the same time. 

As they approached the young boy waiting patiently at the door, Sidhe saw that he was slightly taller than Hide, who was amongst the tallest of the younger Ravenclaws himself. Sidhe was nearly the shortest among the first years as far as she could tell, however, so everyone seemed tall to her. Her eyes were drawn to his own, which were extraordinary mainly because of the unusual color - which caused something to shuffle in the back of her mind. An old memory... something forgotten...

Hide made the introductions, although in the close quarters of the classroom, it was very likely that Jace had already learned their names. Despite that, he replied with a friendly grin, "I'm Jace Hamry. Good to meet you!"

With the greetings and introductions completed, the four made their way back into the hallway ready to face the as yet daunting staircases once again in the attempt to make it back to the Great Hall. Somehow, it was more comforting to have their numbers, and wits, increased by the addition of the two other students.

"Perhaps we'll get through this easier with four brains working on puzzling it out..." Sidhe mused silently.

As they rounded a corner several levels down, they encountered a scene featuring a girl that Sidhe thought was named Aura, an unknown Slytherin, and another approaching Ravenclaw who might have been a fifth year called Chris. As they drew closer, the older Slytherin had moved on, leaving just Chris and Aura in the path ahead of their own small group. "Hullo," Sidhe said politely...

"Hello" spoke Aura softly as she attempted to move out of their way.

Arienne smiled softly at Aura. Then she spoke unexpectedly. "We're going to lunch; want to help us find our way around?" Arienne had remembered how lonely she was last night before meeting Sidhe, and she had a small burst of pride when she returned the favor to somebody else.

"Yes, please" said Aura. Sidhe nodded a silent invitation to include the older boy she thought might be Chris as well.

"You can come too, if you'd like" she offered. He hesitated, and then apparently decided that going with first years was better than going alone. Arienne would have felt slightly intimidated, especially with the fifth year, but she was surprisingly comfortable in the group of six. The group continued on with Aura and Chris tagging along. They began to make their way down to the Great Hall- a feat easier said than done. They continued to go down the stairs, deciding rather randomly on which stairs to travel.

Sidhe wasn't sure of the girl's name, which she had thought was Aura. But when she had called up to her before breakfast on the staircases, she was unsure if the girl had responded. And when she arrived at the tables later, she had not acknowledged them where Sidhe and Arienne had been sitting. So perhaps she had the name wrong. Sidhe picked distractedly at the bandage on her hand as she pored through her brain trying to recall any concrete clues on the girl's official identity - worried about addressing her incorrectly. 

Having received an indication of agreement from their newest acquaintance, though the boy named Chris decided to continue off on his own after a little while, the group that was now five in number continued onward with Arienne Sidhe in front; Jace and Hide about two steps behind. Aura followed just a pace later and brought up the rear. 

They traveled mostly in silence with the exception of Jace who was humming a strange tune to himself as his hands manipulated a tiny mechanical object that Sidhe could not identify. Once again, that mysterious familiarity of memory stirred in the hidden corners of Sidhe's mind as she heard the notes of his song. But nothing would fully solidify from the older fogs of her memories except for a repeating thought about the salty seas. Realizing that it wasn't going to get any clearer than that, she had to just let it go for the moment. It was rather irritating. She almost felt like she knew Jace already, but that was entirely impossible. 

Hide moved in his normal restrained manner with his face remaining mostly placid and neutral of expression - though if one looked carefully - there was always a certain good natured, intelligent humor playing around his nearly black eyes. Sidhe glanced back at him. She had friends that she corresponded with in Japan already - especially Hirabayashi - who had been telling her stories about Mahoutokoro, so she recognized that his slight accent indicated that he had spent much of his short life so far in that country. Most likely it was his homeland. She recognized a word for 'please' when he had said 'douzo' earlier, so she assumed that Nihongo was his first language. She had read about it in one of her many stories. She hoped for, and even looked forward to, a chance to talk to him more about his personal story, though she worried to herself that she would seem a bit clumsy and awkward in comparison to his seemingly natural grace and composure.

Arienne looked up at Jace and Hide, slowly working up the courage to ask the boys a question. She spent a considerable amount of time- far more than the average person- wondering if it would be better to ask them about their families or their homes. Finally deciding on families, she took another moment or two and then spoke, looking up at the boys. "So, do you"- but her words turned into a shriek of fear as she fell through a vanishing step!

Sidhe whirled around to see her friend disappearing through the floor. Surprisingly quick and agile, Jace leaped forward instantly - bracing his feet on either side of the step that Sidhe suddenly realized was no longer there. He had managed to snag Arienne's robes and was just reaching out his other hand to grab her wrist when there was a ripping sound. The robe tore loose at a seam and the young Ravenclaw was gone with a scream. There was a shout of some command from somewhere above them and then silence as the rest of the group looked stunned. Sidhe looked up to see Chris with his wand drawn. It had all happened in mere seconds. 

With Jace still grasping the sleeve of Arienne's robe, he and Hide immediately ran ahead of the other two girls in a run with Jace shouting, "C'mon! She's right below us!" Aura looked stunned, and Sidhe realized her face probably held a similar expression. 

Sidhe grabbed Aura by the hand and began half running, half hopping down the remaining stairs, careful for any more trick steps. The boys had covered the distance quickly and were already almost to the landing where Arienne lay on another staircase directly under the one they had previously been on. 

'_She's too still!_' Sidhe's thoughts warned her. _'Oh, no, no, no... she's too still, she's not moving!'_ It was true, Arienne wasn't moving at all. 

Breathlessly, Sidhe and the Aura caught up to see Jace kneeling over Arienne with one arm around her shoulders, holding her. He placed his mouth close to Arienne's ear and called her name several times in a near whisper although her eyes remained wide with fear. Hide held her wrist lightly and seemed to checking her pulse. 

Sidhe's brow was rippled with worry. Just then there was a shout from above. It was Chris, who was already moving back down the steps himself. Sidhe realized he must have shouted the incantation that had slowed Arienne's fall, possibly saving her life.

Arienne suddenly gasped and opened her eyes, taking in a long, ragged breath. She looked around, momentarily confused. Then she realized what happened. She looked around to see a small crowd of people, including Jace holding her, and blushed. Then she started to feel a throbbing pain, originating from her hip. "Ow" she said feebly, frowning.

Hearing her gasp, Jace tightened his arm around her shoulder and said to Arienne, "just stay still, I've got you." He was blushing, too, apparently a bit embarrassed with holding on to Arienne, but also clearly not wanting to let her go. Between the two boys and several questions directed at Arienne, they determined that the best thing to do was get Arienne to the infirmary. 

"Jace-san," Hide said. "Lets make a 'chair' with our arms and carry her up to Madam Pomfrey, like Chris said. She shouldn't try to walk, I don't think." He turns his attention to Arienne. "Do you think you can hang on to our shoulders while we carry you down?" She nodded, biting her lip slightly.

"I can help support her back if she needs it," said Sidhe, as Chris joined them again. "Or I can carry our stuff if that would help more."

With a bit of trial and error, it was decided that the three boys would manage the carrying while the two girls handled most of their bags. Arienne was perched carefully on the arms of Hide and Jace who had linked them together into a square shaped 'seat' while Chris walked behind with his hands pressed against her back. Sidhe stuffed Arienne's missing sleeve in one of the deeper pockets of her robe as well saying, "Don't worry, Arienne, we'll get it sewn back on..."

Arienne bit her lip to keep from wincing as the boys picked her up, but she was reasonably comfortable as they carried her to Madam Pomfrey. "I hope you know the way, Chris" Arienne said, as they went up another flight on stairs. "Because we haven't got a clue where we're going." Her attempt at humor fell flat. They continued around a corner, past the DADA room. As they passed, Proffesor Te Kahika looked up at them. Her face quickly adopted a look of shock and confusion.

"What happened?" She asked rather sharply, standing up and walking towards them. Professor Te Kahika's face was full of concern. "Are you hurt child? Or is this some game that you all are playing?"

She cups Arienne's chin in her hand gently and looks carefully at her face. "You are in pain, so this is not a game at all, is it..." she declares decisively. Her husband Taonga, who had been in the classroom with her during the scheduled break sharing a snack with his beloved, was quickly at her side. With hurried explanations about what happened and a description of their plan to get Arienne to the school nurse, the couple looked at each other and nodded.

Without another word, Taonga reached to lift Arienne out of the makeshift carrier of the boy's arms. Arienne gasped lightly, whether from the pain or surprise was unknown. They seemed relieved as they had started to falter a little under even such a light weight as the slender girl with so many staircases to travel. The 36 year old man was intimidating to look at by those who were unfamiliar with his culture. He appeared fierce with his huge shoulders, solid with packed muscle, and nearly every inch that could be seen covered with blue-black markings. Though he wore robes today, most of the students had seen him shirtless in the afternoons practicing haka by now, and knew that the tattoos were extensive.

Yet despite his unusual and sometimes frightening appearance in the UK wizarding world, when he lifted Arienne up in his great arms, he was so gentle that she felt no greater pain than she had before, perhaps even less. He held the child lightly and with a finesse that belied his great strength - moving with the same type of grace that his wife had so often exhibited in class.

Professor Te Kahika reached for three bags from the equally exhausted girls, threw the straps across her own very strong shoulders and led the way swiftly and wordlessly with her husband following closely. The others also fell in behind and sooner than they might have managed on their own they were all in Madam Pomfrey's quarters.

Madam Pomfrey looked up from across the room, where she had been arranging various potions on shelves across the walls. She frowned as she saw the group of five first years, a fifth year, and two Professors. "Come here" she said quickly, motioning for Taonga to come to one of the beds and set Arienne down. "Where are you hurt?" She asked Arienne, bringing out her wand.

"My right hip" Arienne replied shyly. "But if it wasn't for Chris, I probably would've been hurt a lot worse" she smiled gratefully at the fifth year.

"Reparo" Madam Pomfrey said, tapping Arienne's hip with her wand. There was a clicking sound and most of the pain stopped immediately. The relief in Arienne's face was obvious. "Episkey" Madam Pomfrey said, tapping her hip again. The little pain that was left disappeared. Madam Pomfrey went over to one of the shelves and retrieved, as Chris had predicted, flask full of calming draught. "Drink up" she told Arienne, handing her the flask. "What happened?" Madam Pomfrey asked, addressing the small crowd waiting at the door.

Arienne watched as Professor Te Kahika explained how she had fallen through a vanishing step, was saved by Chris, and carried up. She gave a small shudder as they recounted what happened. Unlike some people, who forgot accidents they were in, she remembered the whole thing. How she was walking with her friends, when suddenly she stepped down and there was nothing there. How Jace had caught her- she blushed slightly at this thought -but her robes ripped. And then she had been falling, and had been a horrible feeling. She had been tumbling through the air, and then slowed by Chris's spell. Then she had hit the stairs below and momentarily blanked out. She blushed again as she remembered opening her eyes and being surrounded by people, in the arms of Jace.

Professor Te Kahika looked meaningfully at Arienne and made a small motion of silence with one hand that went unnoticed by the others in the room. "Arienne," she said, "Do you think that you can walk?"

With Taonga supporting her arm, they gingerly tested her weight on the hip that was injured. Though she moved haltingly at first, apparently concerned that the pain would return, Arienne was soon walking normally. Madam Pomfrey stood beaming from where she hovered nearby, hands on hips and nodding her head. "Another successful cure..." she murmured, happy that this case was relatively uncomplicated and not at all time consuming.

The professor eased over to the window and said gently, "Aura, time to go," as she placed one strong hand on the girl's shoulder.

Aura! Finally, I can be sure... Sidhe thought. What a relief that I didn't call her by the wrong name. I wonder why she didn't answer before... but nevermind. At least I know now.

With Madam Pomfrey's blessings and assurances that Arienne would be fine, the two older Maori's ushered the group out of the infirmary. Jace was soon at Arienne's side again, his strange eyes looking intensely at her as he took what appeared to be a protective stance as her official escort. He didn't specifically touch her, but looked alert - no longer fiddling with the little devices that filled his pockets as they walked.

Not for the last time, Sidhe felt that Jace's eyes were more than a little familiar. 'This is going to drive me nuts' was running through her mind as the salty tang of the ocean reoccurred to her yet again in connection with the boy. It was almost there, whatever this deeply buried memory was, just skirting the surface of her recollections. She sighed and tried to think of other things for now.

Professor Te Kahika had to return to her classroom, but not before instructing everyone in the group to follow her husband to the Great Hall. Taonga nodded silently, brushed the back of his wife's hand affectionately, and strode off confidently. 

Aura took a place on the other side of Arienne, so Sidhe knew that her friend was well supported should she suddenly relapse. Just then, she noticed that Hide was at her side. "I have some thread and a needle in my pocket, if you need it," he whispered.

"I, what?" Sidhe asked, "Thread?"

"For the sleeve..." came the response as Hide cocked his head toward Arienne's white shirted arm protruding from her damaged robe. It was still too early in the season for the heavier jumpers.

The realization of his offer became clear and Sidhe was relieved that they had at least an extra hour to work on repairing Arienne's robe before her next class. She was sure that there was a charm or spell that would solve the problem without any effort at all, but as a first year she didn't yet have the skills for such things. "So it's the old fashioned way for now."

"You..." Sidhe hesitated, "...seem to carry quite a few odd things in your pockets, Hide. It's a little unusual... isn't it..." Her words trailed off weakly as she was suddenly concerned that she had been too forward or offensive in some way. She peeked up at him through her lowered lashes, looking for any sign that he was angry.

Instead, she found that the corners of his mouth had turned upwards just a bit, and good humor danced in his own very dark eyes. But the tone of his voice remained quiet and serious as he said, "It's the way of my family that we should not bother others if possible by being self sufficient and prepared."

Sidhe nodded without saying anything for a minute while she processed this philosophy. She found herself admiring the taller boy - respecting him. She was glad that she had spoken up, but even happier that he had given her the excuse to do so in the Defense class. Before she could respond again, however, she found herself along with the others standing just outside of the massive doors to the Great Hall.

Arienne walked, very aware of Jace walking next to her. There was something about him- maybe his eyes -that made her blush when she looked at him. She didn't mind him there, rather, it made her feel like he was protecting her. When they reached the Great Hall, she looked to her new friends and spoke. "Well, let's go get some lunch. I'm not sure about you guys, but near death experiences tend to make me hungry" she said, smiling. They laughed lightly.

The small group of first years took a couple of steps, but before they could go any further, they were stopped by 3 older Ravenclaws. They started bursting with questions about Arienne's fall.

Arienne blushed. "I just fell" she said, turning and leading her friends to the Ravenclaw table. She sat down near the end of the table. Sidhe sat on her right, with Aura on Arienne's left, and Jace and Hide sitting across from them. She looked at the massive amount of food in front of them, and started with a roast beef sandwich. Biting into it, she smiled.

Sidhe began to relax for the first time since the accident occurred. She didn't realize how concerned she had been until just then, when the tenseness began to drain from her body again. It had been quite a bit of luck that things had turned out so well.

"Arienne," she said quietly to her friend, "Give me your robe, I'll reattach your sleeve as best I can before class..." She pulled the slightly tattered cloth from her pocket just as Hide was opening another beautifully ornate box neatly containing delicate needles and roles of colorful thread. He quickly threaded a needle with simple black and passed it over to Sidhe.

She turned the robe and sleeve inside out and attempted to line the edges up as they had been before, picking out a few random threads from the original seam. As she ran the needle through the first stitches, her mind wondered yet again about the strange eyes of Jace, which were just now throwing quick glances at Arienne as she ate. "I know I have seen something like them before, but where?"

It was driving her mad.

Her stomach began to rumble a bit but she continued sewing as quickly as she could. She worried that her work was clumsier than it should be, but she didn't want there to be any rebukes for her friend from Madam Hooch during the upcoming flying lesson. She knew that a damaged robe could mean trouble in the art of controlling a broom - at least at their skill level as first years...

Suddenly, her needle stopped as the memory flashed through her mind. The salty air of the ocean, the sound of crashing waves and an unearthly man, more handsome than it seemed possible, sitting on a large chunk of driftwood with a seal skin in his hands. He was tending to it much as she was tending to the robe now, his clever hands working swiftly over the skin, handling it with a deep attitude of respect.

She had been just a child who wandered up to him, and he had been kind to her. He sang a while as he worked, and it was a sweet song full of deep waters and...and... something else.

Sidhe's memories grew stronger as the song played in her mind again - a song that she had heard again in a humming sound earlier today. The man had finally glanced up at the child in front of him and his eyes were extraordinary - deep and full of ocean mysteries, forgotten places and creatures without names. The color was... indescribable. Even as a child she was stunned by his gaze.

Her eyes flew to Jace's eyes... "The Selkie!" Her memories rang true now...she knew what had been so familiar. "His...son?"

While this realization was settling firmly in her consciousness, Sidhe struggled to turn her gaze down again toward the robe in her lap and continue stitching. She thought of the legends of Selkies- magical creatures that could shift between human and seal forms. She knew that Selkies often came ashore and slipped off their seal skins to spend time with a human mate for a while - at least until the call of the ocean became too strong. She had heard many times from her parents and neighbors the stories of the children that are born from these temporary, bittersweet unions. Unions that must, by the nature of any attempt to span such separate worlds, end in heartbreak for either one or the other of the lovers - and often both.

The children were always raised in the human world, taken as fully human by those unaware of the Selkies that swam the seas. Sometimes they were adopted by new human fathers or mothers after their real parent of either gender had returned to their place of birth. But they always retained something a bit fey about themselves, a gift from their seal parents, and they were known best for their very clever hands. Sidhe remembered how Jace, in the short time that she had been in his company, often tinkered with some delicate, mechanical thing.

She remembered how tragic the tales often were - speaking of half human children on the shores staring out day after day at the seal that bobbed quietly in the far off waves. The seal that came often, just to gaze at the children in return with eyes full of all things. Eyes that sometimes seemed to weep silently.

Sidhe risked another glance at Jace and once again noted how much he concentrated on Arienne. She smiled to herself. [i]I've only just met them, really, and they each other, but already he looks out for her so sweetly. Perhaps that is the Selkie in his blood. [/i]

Arienne looked to Sidhe, about to say something, and noticed the other girl's eyes were wide and focused on Jace. Arienne frowned slightly in confusion, but before she could think about it Sidhe dropped her eyes back to her robes. Arienne didn't think anything of it.

Finishing the robe she turned. With Aura's help, she slipped it back on to Arienne with just a slight grimace. Her work would do for now, but it was certainly not perfect. She sighed and shrugged at Arienne and hoped that it would be okay until they could solve the problem better later when there was more time.

"Thanks, Sidhe" Arienne said, smiling as her friend finished sewing and helped her put her robes back on. "Oh, and thanks, Hide" she said, looking up at the boy. She thought it was a bit odd that he carried sewing supplies with him, but she wasn't going to complain. Maybe she would find a charm to repair her robes later- it couldn't be too hard.

"Hi guys. I'm glad to see you're okay" said a second year girl as she walked past the group. Her friends looked up at the girl and nodded or smiled before going back to their food.

"Oh, thanks" said Arienne quickly, blushing. She blushed even more when the girl offered to properly mend her robes. She really didn't like it when people made a big deal out of her. She wondered how the word that she fell had gotten around so quickly. Certainly, it seemed like most the Ravenclaws knew. How long would it be before the other houses knew? She imagined the horror- Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, and Slytherins all offering words of compassion. Or, worse, making fun of her for falling through the step. No doubt they had all learned how to jump the step by now. Why couldn't I just remember the step? She thought with growing anguish.

Finally, she was able to turn her attention toward the bounty that was before her with the time that remained. As always, everything was exquisite and looked delicious. She reached forward to sip a little juice that Hide had poured for her while she had been sewing and noticed some unusual dishes that she had not seen on the Hogwarts table before.

Delicate bits of fish and rolls, other items that she couldn't easily identify, a variety of vegetables and fruits, bowls of warm rice and soups. Then it dawned on her that these would be the foods that Hide might have eaten at home. He seemed to be creating a combination of the other Western foods on the table along with these new items - carefully cupping a bowl of rice in one hand and adding a variety of ingredients here and there to the top of it as he ate. He used his own utensils as well - as beautiful as the other items he had been carrying. They were lacquered chopsticks, a very deep red and black in color, inscribed with delicate copper symbols. They traveled in one of his sleeves protected by a matching case with a sliding top.

Noticing her interest, he inquired, "Would you like to try some of this?" He set his own bowl down and reached with a question in his eyes for a second set of chopsticks as beautiful as the first. Handing the case to her, he deftly scooped up something from the table and placed it carefully on top of another fresh bowl of rice, which he then offered her. "I think, perhaps, you might enjoy this one..."

Sidhe took the bowl that Hide offered carefully and set it in front of her place. She did not want to be rude but she was a bit nervous. It was topped with a slice of fish that she could tell was not cooked in the Western fashion.

"Toro," said Hide while nodding at the fish, "It is a very tasty form of fatty tuna. By itself, it is sashimi, but placed on top of the rice, it becomes 'chirashi sushi'."

Not sure what to expect, Sidhe began to lift the borrowed chopsticks and attempt to hold them in a manner that resembled what Hide managed with ease. He quickly gave her a short lesson on how to hold one chopstick stable and unmoving braced at the base of her thumb while her thumb tip, index and middle fingers moved the second one in a fashion that would pinch items between the ends. Her hand felt stiff and protested at her attempt to manipulate the items in this new fashion, and her brow furrowed in concentration.

"Lift the bowl up close to your face with your other hand, as I do. It will seem easier," he suggested.

Sidhe smiled politely and made her best effort. She was determined to eat the pink colored slice of fish glistening on top of the rice without making any expression of dismay - though she feared that it would not agree with her. She clumsily managed to guide the fish to her mouth on the third try, with the ever patient Hide making no sign that he was displeased with her inexperience. Expecting a strong taste of 'fishy' which she thought that she would dislike, Sidhe was amazed at the soft texture that almost melted in her mouth and a delightful, clean flavor. She managed to scoop up a bit of rice afterwards that was also quite lovely as a follow through for the tuna... what Hide had called 'toro'.

With the expression of surprised delight that crossed her face, Hide placed another small dish near her that contained sliced pieces of another dark pink-orange item. "Chew a small piece of this next. Just a small piece, you might find it a little sharp at first."

Sidhe followed his instructions, and after dropping it only once, found herself chewing a tangy yet sweet bit of vegetable.

"That is 'gari' - you would call it pickled ginger. It is a good transition between ingredients," the young man informed her as he lifted a second slice of fish to her bowl. This one was lighter in color with fairly even stripes in the flesh. She did better this time with her new utensils and found herself enjoying a rich, almost buttery flavor.

She smiled as Hide further explained, "That is called 'sake' which is sometimes confused with the drink. And the rice is 'gohan' though you may have heard the term 'sticky rice'. We call the chopsticks - 'hashi'."

"Arienne, Aura! You should try some of this!" Sidhe said enthusiastically. "Really, all of you should!" she expressed to the rest of her group at the table, when she suddenly realized that Jace was already garnishing his meal with various items from Hide's side while winking at his friend at the same time, though he was using an ordinary fork to do so.

"I'm sorry that I only have two pairs of hashi at the moment." Hide directed his comment to the other two girls. At that moment, just in front of Arienne and Aura, two beautiful sets very similar to the ones that Hide carried popped onto the table.

"Those house elves are amazing..." Sidhe thought.

Arienne smiled with surprise as they appeared in front of her. She picked the 'hashi' up carefully, holding them almost exactly as Hide was. She got ready and carefully picked up a bit of Toro, as Sidhe has recommended. Her hands steady, she carefully brought it to her mouth... and it dropped just before reaching her mouth. Arienne blushed, and decided to try again. She picked up a new piece of fish, and successfully got it into her mouth.

"mmm" she said, her mouth full of food and flavor.

The food suddenly disappeared, with a slightly disappointed look from Hide. Arienne thought back to her schedule and realized today was the first day of flying! She had to admit, she was extremely nervous. "Come on, let's go!" Aura said brightly.

The five children picked up their bags and left the great hall. Sidhe walked quietly with her growing group of new friends to their next class. She was feeling a certain warmth about the way things were going in her experiences in the school. She had always been a little lonely at times while growing up, though never exactly unhappy. There just weren't a lot of children near her age to talk to back home. And even fewer who came from magical families - so she always felt the pressure of keeping such important cultural secrets.

But now she was slowly finding her own 'pack' - or so she hoped. And it was a very pleasant idea... to not be so alone in the world. As was her way, though, she kept these thoughts to herself, not wanting to burden others with all of her sometimes strange musings. She glanced quickly at Arienne who was having a quiet chat with Jace, and then at Hide who was just then offering a sweet of some sort from a tiny bag to Aura. With only a shade of a placid smile on her face she thought to herself yet again, "My friends..."

The sun was out but not overly bright as there were many clouds in the sky. Sidhe was glad because she had never been able to tolerate an enormous amount of sunlight with her extremely pale complexion. She lined up next to her school broom and found Arienne on one side of her and Hide on the other. She admitted to herself that she was a bit nervous. Growing up in a magical family, she had of course been on a broom before, when some older family member had settled her in front while they went on short trips. But this would be her first attempt to use a broom on her own, and she could only hope that she wouldn't be too clumsy. She straightened her back a bit, took a calming breath.

Arienne waited over the broom nervously. It wasn't that she disliked sports, it was just that she wasn't ever any good at them. Physically she could play just fine, when it came to things like throwing or kicking or running. But competing in sports was a different thing- the moment somebody came towards her she would give them the ball and run off, no matter the sport.

She looked around the Quidditch pitch, looking at the tall hoops. It wasn't hard to imagine what she would have to do. This was one of the few classes she had with only other Ravenclaws. "Stand over your broom now, it won't bite!" barked a sharp voice. Arienne looked up to see a woman with yellow-ish eyes and short grey hair. Their flying instructor, Madam Hooch, had arrived. All the Ravenclaw first years stood over their brooms.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom and say up!" Madam Hooch commanded. Guess there wasn't going to be an introduction. Arienne took a deep breath, she could put it off any more.

"Up" she said, her voice came out high and sqeaky. She blushed, the broom hadn't moved at all.

"You've got to really mean it" a voice to her left said. Arienne looked up from her broom, to see Jace triumphantly holding his broom. She tried to hide her surprise, but clearly that didn't work. "I've had lots of practise, my older sister is on the Gryffindor team, has been for a couple years" he explained. "Like I said, you have to mean it. Brooms are sort of like dogs, they can tell if you're scared, and they won't come unless you make them."

Arienne nodded, blushing. She looked over her broom, holding her right hand over it. A steely glint of detirmination entered her eyes. She took a deep, calming breath, called forth all her will, and commanded, 'UP!" To her shock, and pleasure, the broom shot into her had. She immediately felt proud. Looking around, she realized she and Jace were the only ones with their brooms up yet. For some reason, this made her blush and look down.

Sidhe smiled warmly to see her new friend's success quickly achieved at yet another magical skill. After witnessing her triumph of sorts with the feather in 'Charms' earlier she began to suspect that Arienne had quite a lot of natural talent despite her apparent shyness.

Over the next few minutes, through a chaotic chorus of "Up, Up, Ups", other students began to manage the call to their own brooms - though in some cases the results were a tad wobbly. Hide seemed to be standing quietly though, not moving or saying anything at all. His hands were at his sides in loose fists, his head slightly bowed and his eyes closed. This went on long enough to alarm Sidhe somewhat as she worried that he would soon draw the unfavorable opinion of Madam Hooch. In fact, the Flying Master herself was just then gazing sternly at the young man from across the distance though she had not yet said anything.

Then, with a single smooth, efficient motion, Hide opened his dark eyes, raised one open palm over the broom and spoke the command. His voice was not necessarily loud, but it sounded as if it was coming from someplace deeper inside him than she had noticed before in their short acquaintance.

"Up!"

And suddenly, as if it had always been there, the broom handle was resting firmly in his grip.

Sidhe caught the movement of a brusque approving nod from Madam Hooch with her peripheral vision as she returned her own concentration back to her third attempt. She managed to grasp the timeworn wood on her fifth call - almost to her surprise - though not nearly as neatly as the others in her group. She looked down the line to see that Aura had succeeded as well, though she had missed the actual moment.

She risked another glance over at Hide and just caught another hint of a smile on his face as he turned his head toward her. "That was very good, Sidhe-san," he whispered.

Just then from her left on the other side of Arienne she heard Jace say with some gusto, "Hide-san, my friend, I think we have found ourselves among the three most talented witches in the first year Ravenclaws... How will we ever compare to such graceful companions?"

Sidhe could see that he wore what only could be described as a cheeky grin on his face. She found herself mumbling, "Don't be silly..." Hide said nothing more, nor did his expression change, but Sidhe felt that there was some sort of unspoken approval in his body language anyway.

The moment was interrupted with a voice suddenly barking the word, "Good!"

From where she stood, Madam Hooch cast her eyes around the class and repeated, "Good! All brooms are up as they should be. Over time you will become better at smoothing out the shakiness. So, on to the next phase. Simply swing your leg over the broom, just like you're getting on a horse" Madam Hooch instructed sharply.

Arienne felt a twinge of fear. She found herself having a hard time believing the broom could support her weight. She swung her leg over, as instructed, and gingerly sank onto the broom. She was surprised that it held her weight. She lifted her feet and felt giddy as she levitated off the ground.

She looked around to see her friends mounting their own brooms. Jace was confidently swinging his legs, smiling with pride. Sidhe looked a bit nervous, and still had her feet on the ground. She couldn't see clearly if Hide was on his broom, although it looked like it. Aura still hadn't swung her leg over yet. As Arienne watched, Aura swung her leg over the broom. She sat, and gasped in surprise as the broom crashed to the ground. Her face turned scarlet as she picked herself and her broom up.

Arienne winced, feeling pity for her friend. "Are you okay, Aura?" She called out.

"Yes, I'm okay" Aura called back.


End file.
